Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
by X Music Is Believing X
Summary: Life is a series of 'What If's'. This is one simple one. What if Sam hadn't jumped?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This could be considered a crossover with LOM, but i does (even though it might not seem like it at the beginning) have a relevance to A2A. I'm really nervous about this one, because its the first time I've had OC. Please review and tell me what you think of them in particular. Okay...on to the story **_

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_A packed lunch. The last time I had been made a packed lunch was the day I left for university, when, like today, my mother had insisted I needed a healthy meal. mother knows best_ she told me. So, I accepted my packed lunch, placed it on the passenger side seat and began my journey towards my new life, as much of a cliché as that sounds.

After my accident, I had been so riddled with guilt at the way I left my friends in 1973, I'd struggled to adapt to my real life back home, to the point I would most likely have thrown myself off the roof of the GMP building had an unsuspecting PC sneaking up to the roof for a cigarette not caught me and raised the alarm.

After that, my family had insisted I see a psychiatrist, as well as maintaining conduct with DI Drake, a female police psychologist in London who had shown an interest in my case since I woke up from my coma. Unexpectedly, a friendship, based on contact through email and telephone had developed, and now, two years after my accident, we were not only going to meet, but I was going to be her new boss.

I'd eventually been declared fit for duty 18 months after I emerged from the coma (despite maintaining, as I do to this day, that my coma 'constructs' were real) I found I couldn't settle in the GMP, too many memories, and so, when Alex told me there was an opening for the position of her DCI, I immediately filed a transfer request, which was authorised, and so now, here I was, moving to London.

At about midday, I pulled over the car in a lay-by and at my packed lunch. I had to admit, my mother made a mean ham and cheese sandwich. As I sat, watching the traffic go by, I reached over an pulled a file of the passenger seat. This was my record of everything I had discovered about my colleagues in the 70's, which some basic searching of the GMP achieves had revealed were real people, exactly as I remembered. It went a long way towards easing my guilty conscience to find that they had all survived Leslie John's siege with minimal injuries. I also discovered that, for whatever reason, Gene, Ray and Chris had put in for a transfer to London in 1980 at the same time. Annie had been the only one who had continued to work at the GMP after that, but eventually took early retirement to spend time with her family.

She had married a young DC who had transferred to the unit not long after I left 1973. They had had two children, a boy and a girl. A family photo I had located showed them all smiling at the camera. I was glad she had found happiness, although it still hurt a little it couldn't be with me. Two years had gone a long way towards healing that wound, although, I suspected it would never complexly fade.

I hadn't been able to find out what had happened to Gene and the others in London, and all traces of DCI Frank Morgan had suspiciously disappeared. Maybe I would never have an answer as to who that man was. I know now though, that he was not sent to help me.

I glanced over my briefing for my new job. I would be in charge of a small team of CID officers and would investigate predominantly murder cases, with the useful psychological insight of my second in command, DI Alex Drake. Other than the two of us, their would be five other members of the team, all of DS or DC rank. I have to admit, I was feeling considerably more nervous as time passed.

* * *

After lunch, I began to drive once more towards my destination. I made it to London more or less on time, not having hit any major traffic. Finding the right building was another matter altogether. I had checked Google maps on my phone for the third time before I got I right. I had been told the building was small, only holding my team and the local drug squad. I was only inside it for a few minutes however, before I realised I was once again…lost.

I tried phoning Alex's mobile…no answer, I tested her, with no response, before deciding I should try reception again. It was the same as it had been when I entered the building…deserted. Feeling foolish, I took the elevator back upstairs and tried to lean nonchalantly against a barrier, while trying Alex's phone again.

"You look lost" said a teasing voice from behind me.

I wheeled round, and found myself face to face with an uncommonly pretty girl in her mid twenties. Plain clothes, so CID, although she barely looked old enough. She had long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, and her mouth was fashioned in a crooked smile as she studied me.

"You must be the new DCI" she grinned, holding out a hand. I attempted to return her smile with one that wasn't tinged with worry

"DCI Sam Tyler, but you can call me Sam" I replied, shaking her hand. _You can call me Sam? _I had always allowed my junior officers to call me DCI Tyler on principle.

She was still grinning "DS Jennifer Mellors, but you can call me Jenny" she teased, imitating me.

She let go of my hand. "Office is this way" she said with a gesture of her hand, beckoning me to follow

"Thanks" I told her "And by the way, if you could avoid mentioning to the rest of the team that I got lost in a two story building, that would be great" I tried to make it sound like I wasn't pleading.

She laughed "Sure thing, although you do realise your going to get the grilling of your life while they try and work out whether your up to the job. Your about the be thrown to the wolves as it were…."

I tried to fathom out if she was joking. She wasn't

"Any tips?" I asked, straitening my tie.

She looked thoughtful "Draw chips for everyone in the room so they can play on the house"

That confused me. "What does that mean?"

"It's from the godfather" she shrugged

"I know that, but what does it mean?"

"I means, if you show them your working for the team, not just yourself like so many other cops in this place, then they'll respect you. We've had too many DCI's who were only here as a stepping stone for their career. We're not like that, we care about what we do"

She was a plucky little thing, I gave her that.

"You ready?" she asked me

"As I'll ever be"

Unexpectedly, she gave my hand a brief squeeze.

"Good luck" and with that she opened the door to the office.

* * *

The first thing which occurred to me about the office was that it was incredibly bright. The far wall was made up entirely of windows, through which winter sunlight now streamed, reflecting off every surface, temporarily blinding me as I entered the room.

"Sam!" called a voice

DI Alex Drake crossed over the room to shake my hand. She was an attractive woman in her mid thirties with dark hair tied up in a bun. Her clothes said professional and confident, made of varying shades of grey, black and white.

"I see you've already met Jenny?"

Jenny gave me an encouraging smile.

"Yes…she was just, showing me round"

Alex smiled "I'm sure you'll find her a very competent young officer, she's worked hard to be on the team. And I'm sure that if you need any help finding your way around, she'll help you. She knows this area of London like the back of her hand"

I tried not to smile at the irony in that comment. The two women exchanged a brief smile before Alex announced "you should meet the rest of the team!"

She turned back to the office behind her, and, with a gesture in each officers direction, introduced them.

"DS Simon Hathaway…". A man in a smart suit in his late forties. "…DC Barney Lawrence…". A man a little younger than me in a blue shirt "…DC Mike Matthews…". A young man who reminded me of Chris when we had first met, barely old enough to be on the force let alone CID. "…and DC Danny Partridge" another young officer, about the same age as Jenny, who looked out of place in a T shirt and Jeans. He was the only one who did not get up to shake my hand when we were introduced. In fact, he barely even looked up from the magazine he was reading to glance in my direction. Alex scowled.

"A little respect, DC Partridge?" she asked

He snorted, but did not look up. Jenny batted him on the back of the head with a rolled up newspaper. I could have sworn I heard someone whisper "nice shot". He whipped his head round and glared at her, but I noticed it didn't stop him checking her out as she walked away.

"Sorry about him" Alex whispered under her voice "he has a bit of a problem responding to authority"

"Don't worry, I've dealt with worse" I replied thinking of Ray Carling.

Alex smiled. "I'll bring you up to date with the case we're working on. We're almost done here for the day, but it'll mean we can get started straight away tomorrow"

I nodded and she led me over to the whiteboard

"Louis Delany, a soldier just returned from service in Afghanistan. Found murdered in his own home by his wife Simone three days ago. He'd been brutally stabbed through the stomach and left to die by his attacker. We're still waiting on forensics, but a swept of the house didn't turn up anything. The last thing we wanted to do today was speak to the victims brother, whose just come back into town. That's about all we've got to go on. All the other interviews turned up nothing."

Jenny came over at that point "Alex, just talked to forensics, they say their jammed up with a double homicide and its going to be at least another couple of days before we get anything back"

Alex sighed. "Red tape…" she told me with a long suffering sigh. I nodded in agreement. Jenny meanwhile was re-examining the crime scene photos on the board.

"How could someone do that to a man who risked his life for his country. Basted" This case had obviously touched a nerve with her.

"Language, Jenny" Alex chided, then as an afterthought, "Would you be okay to go and interview the brother?"

She nodded "sure thing"

"Do you want to take someone with you?" Alex asked.

Jenny looked at me "You want to come?" she asked

"That would be great, give me a chance to get to grips with the case"

She smiled. "That okay, Alex?"

"Of course" she replied "I think I would be useful for….."

She was cut of by the door being opened and a stocky man in his fifties entering. I noticed Jenny visibly stiffen beside me and cast her a questioning glance.

Alex greeted the visitor "Superintendent Fawcett" her tone was noticeably strained "how are things?"

He grunted in reply and didn't return the question. He looked me up and down once before asking "This the new DCI?"

Alex nodded "This is DCI Tyler, Sam, this is Superintendent Fawcett" We shook hands. I noticed he had a very weak grip.

It was clear however, Fawcett was not the least bit interested in me however. "Drake, I need to see you in my office immediately for a budget meeting"

Alex looked a little stunned. "I can't tonight sir, I have to go and pick my daughter up from school, maybe in the morning?"

"I am your superior officer, Drake, when I say now, I mean now"

"I'm sorry sir, I really have to go and get my daughter"

"Do I have to remind you, Drake, that I could easily find grounds to put in a complaint about the unprofessional nature of your department, heaven knows what the consequences of that could be."

This guy was actually threatening her. How had he ever been made Superintendent? Luckily, Jenny stepped in

"I'll pick up Molly if you want Alex, I can go and get her after I interview Delany's brother"

Alex shot her a grateful glance before following nodding to Fawcett and following him out of the room.

"What was that about?" I asked Jenny

She shrugged "He's an asshole, he asked her out last year and she turned him down, and he's been taking it out on her ever since"

"She should make a complaint about him"

"She has. Seems he has friends in high places"

I raised my eyebrows and she smiled. Going to her desk, she fished her car keys out of the top drawer and turned back to me.

"Ready to go?"

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**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

** A/N: Hiya, sorry about the long time it took to update, just life got a bit hectic. Anyway, here's chapter 2. Thanks to rantandrumour for betaing!**

Apparently people were right when they said that the traffic in London was worse than any other city in England. We had been in the same spot for nearly 20 minutes now. Jenny was drumming her fingers on the wheel impatiently and I was desperately trying to think of something to say.

"So, you and Alex are close friends?"

Jenny smiled. "Yeah, she reminds me a lot of my mum, she was a police officer as well. Alex kind of took me on as her protégé when I joined the department. She's really inspirational, she's had such a tough life, but she's achieved so much."

"Was your mother a police officer in London?"

"For over 20 years."

"What happened to her?"

Jenny looked round, curious. "How did you know something happened to her?"

"You said she_ was_ a police officer, seems to suggest…" I broke off "Sorry, it's none of my business."

"No its fine, really…" Her gaze had become slightly unfixed on the traffic in front of her. "She died in a car accident when I was eighteen"

"I'm sorry." This was not my idea of small talk; how had I strayed into this conversation topic?

She nodded. "I still miss her so much, she was my best friend in some ways as well as my mother." She glanced over at me again. "You lost a parent too didn't you?"

I was startled. "How did you know?"

"You just have that look."

I sighed. "My father. He ran out on us at a family wedding and I never saw him again."

She gave me an empathetic look. "It hurts doesn't it, when they let you down?"

"Your father?" I asked.

"He's the reason my mother's dead."

She went silent until she realised I was staring at her with a scandalised expression.

"He was drunk the night she died; he called her to ask her to pick him up. I told her not to go, that the weather was bad and it was a crappy car and it was too dangerous…but she went anyway. She lost control of the car…"

I wondered if deep down, she _really _blamed her father for all of this. She probably knew it had all just been an accident, but hadn't yet managed to accept that.

"Do you still see your father?"

She shook her head. "I left home that night. Stayed with a friend until I finished school and then went off to Uni. I never saw him or spoke to him again."

"Is he…" I began, but was cut off.

"Alive?" She finished. "Yes. He took early retirement not long after mum died and now he lives abroad somewhere."

I was silent. We still hadn't moved anywhere.

"You think I'm wrong, don't you?" she asked, still looking straight ahead.

"NO" I began. "Look. Honestly, I think you haven't dealt with your mother's death completely yet, so you blame your father for what happened. But, having said that, if I ever saw my father again, I'd punch him in the nose and hopefully break it. All because my mum and I lived with the hurt of what he did our whole lives and it never really got any better. So if you want to be pissed at your father for a bit longer, that's something I can totally understand."

She stared at me for a moment before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. I soon found myself joining her.

"You really are an enigma, Sam. I think I have you all figured out and then you give me a damn monologue."

I grinned. There was something about her that reminded me so much of Annie, yet she had a strength and determination that just emanated from her like no one I'd ever known.

"Friends?" I asked, extending my hand.

"Friends" she confirmed, shaking it with a grin.

I glanced forward, the traffic was moving. "Time to go solve a murder."

* * *

"Mr. Delany?"

Jenny knocked on the front door of number seven, Primrose Road for the second time. Still no answer. I meanwhile, was circling the front of the property for another way in, with no luck.

"He mustn't be back yet." I said aloud. "There's no car in the drive."

"Its strange." Jenny replied. "He told Alex he would defiantly be home by now."

"If he was getting a flight back, all kinds of things could have happened; you know what airports are like."

She grinned "When I was fifteen I got arrested in a French airport on a school trip. Apparently my French wasn't as good as I thought and when I loudly announced I couldn't wait to see the sights, I apparently said I was a fugitive on the run from the law. I was in custody for hours until they sorted it out."

I sniggered. "What should we do now?"

"Well, we can't sit around here all day," she said, clapping her hands together "and we've got to go and get Molly, so we'll just have to come back in the morning."

I nodded and returned to the car. She was putting her seatbelt on when she turned back to me.

"By the way, about Molly. She's quite familiar with your case and she's very inquisitive, so she might ask you a lot of questions. Will that make you uncomfortable?"

I wasn't too keen on the prospect of being grilled by an eleven year old, but it was something else which had caught my attention.

"What do you know about my case?"

She looked uncomfortable. "Not much…Alex told me bits and pieces, only really that you had a car accident which put you in a coma, where you thought you travelled back to the 1970's. That's all she told me."

"Does the rest of the team…?" I began

"No, they don't know anything about it."

I nodded. That was a relief at least. "Would you mind not telling them?"

"Of course not. I would never have told them. You can trust me, Sam."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Did Alex tell you about my coma constructs?"

"Only that some constructs existed in your coma world…she didn't tell me anything about them."

I looked down. "That's the one bit I'm having trouble letting go of. They seemed too real to be a product of my imagination."

"Maybe they were real."

My head snapped up. "You believe I could have travelled back to the 1970's while in a coma in 2006 for 3 months?"

She shrugged "Nothing's impossible."

I looked at her for a minute before responding. "Thank you."

"What for?" She laughed.

"For being the first person I've ever told that to who didn't immediately start looking for alternative explanations or giving me that look…."

"Look?"

"The one full of pity and sympathy…no one has ever come close to even thinking about listening. Everyone just tells me I'm wrong."

She reached over and squeezed my hand again. "I can't explain what happened to you, Sam. But I also think that there are something's which happen which we cant explain and shouldn't try to."

We stared at each other for a minute until a door banged further along the street, disrupting the silence.

She ran her hand though her hair and coughed slightly. "We should go and get Molly."

"Err…Yeah…Good idea."

She started the car and backed out the drive, then turned down the street to head for Molly's school. The ride there was silent, as I went over again and again in my mind 'what the hell was that?'

* * *

"Hi Jenny," called the young girl climbing into the back of the car "Where's mum?"

"Hi Molls," Jenny replied "she got called to a meeting, so I said I'd pick you up and drop you at Evan's until she can pick you up."

"Okay," Molly answered, then glanced at me. "New boyfriend, Jenny?"

"Molly!"

"What?"

"This is DCI Tyler, your mum and I's new boss." Jenny was now flushed bright red and I was feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Oh right" Molly said, grinning, then looked at me again. "Wait…Sam Tyler, the coma guy?"

"As I'm more commonly known."

"Cool!" And with that she launched into a tirade of questions so fast I could hardly keep up.

20 minutes and about 100 questions later, we pulled up in front of an impressive Edwardian house, semi detached and covered in ivy. Molly jumped out and ran to the front door, having to stretch to reach the doorbell.

Jenny caught my questioning glance. "Evan White, Alex's godfather, raised her from when her parents died when she was eight. He's Molly's godfather too and since her dad took off, the only father figure she has."

I remembered Alex saying something once about her ex-husband and decided not to continue the conversation any further.

The door was opened by a man who must be approaching his sixties, but still had a certain look which screamed _lawyer_. Molly hugged him and ran inside. He looked toward Jenny and me, but to my surprise, she didn't move and had the same look on her face she had worn when speaking to Fawcett.

"Alex is stuck in a meeting, she'll be by for Molly later." Jenny called out sharply. Evan nodded, then turned on his heel and strode inside, shutting the door behind him.

Jenny gestured towards the car, but say anything, even when we'd driven away. I realised I was going to have to break the tension.

"What was that about?"

"What?"

"You and White…You looked like you wanted to poison him."

She bit her lip before responding. "Alex and Molly love him, but I don't trust him, he makes my skin crawl. I can't explain it…I don't like him one bit."

"There doesn't seem to be love lost on his side either."

She tried and failed to look guilty. "I broke his jaw."

"What?"

"First ever murder case I worked, long before I met Alex, was a five year old girl called Lily. We had the bastard who did it, reckoned he was responsible for a couple of other murders of children as well, though we didn't have the evidence to prove it. The case with Lily was watertight, by all counts he should have gone to prison for the rest of his life. Evan White was his lawyer and got him off on some technicality. The guy walked Scot free and that little girl's family never got justice. I saw White afterwards and asked him if he thought his client was guilty. He said he was sure of it, but the guy had the money to pay, so he'd only been doing his job. I couldn't believe anyone would let a child murderer back on the streets just for the sake of money…so…I hit him."

I looked at her for a long time, trying to decide how to respond. Eventually, I found my voice.

"Well done."


End file.
